Kilpisjärvi Biological Station

Kilpisjärvi Biological Station is situated in the mountain birch forest zone near the 70th parallel of northern latitude (69°03′N; 20°50′E) in the northwesterenmost part of Finland. Station belongs to University of Helsinki, the Faculty of Biosciences

Current research by Prof. Antero Järvinen, Director of the Station:

Ecology and genetics of an isolated Arctic charr population (about 110  
individuals) living in a very small (0.14 hectares) subarctic pond  
have been studied in Northern Norway close to Kilpisjärvi since 2009.  
It is one of the rare cases in which the whole fish population can be  
studied in detail. Due to small pond size it is also relatively easy  
to study charr behaviour. We have, for instance, been able to show  
that this Arctic fish species is in fact a “warm” water species.  
Surface temperature close to its stress zone (about +15°C) is the  
preferred temperature during the summer season, the most important  
time for growth and survival, because of the abundance of zooplankton  
in warm water.

Click here for the video on YouTube

Professor Olavi Kalela established the station in the 1960s:

(lower image from http://www.helsinki.fi/kilpis/english/station/history.htm )